Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2022

Over the weekend, Jason and I traveled to New Orleans to run the Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon. (I ran, he spectated!)

This was our return to "big" racing since you-know-what shut the world down, and it was all around an amazing weekend!

Usually, I also include a synopsis about the Expo - but this expo was super small and there wasn't anything vastly exciting about it, except they did include a few fun photo ops inside the convention center floor.

Dressing for this race was a bit of a fiasco because I couldn't decide what to wear. A friend reminded me not to overdress but I also didn't want to under dress either. It was in the 30's which is COLD for us southerners, y'all!

Ultimately, I decided on layers - a long sleeved shirt under my Raw Threads New Orleans shirt, plus a throw away sweatshirt on top. I could have skipped the sweat shirt altogether but oh well. I also skipped the compression socks and went instead for capri length tights. Overall I was happy with the decision!

I also woke up to see two cruise ships docked just outside our window! Hello return-to-normacly!

Dressed and ready to go!

I also went into this race with somewhat of a funky attitude. Rock n Roll changed the course COMPLETELY this year and I was panicked on how to get to the start line. I used to be able to wake up, get dressed, and walk right out of my hotel to the start line. Now the start line was at least six miles away, at the University of New Orleans. Thankfully, Rock n Roll came through with busses to transport runners to the start line. 

All was super organized and very impressive!

Something new this year was the inclusion of the red light/green light system. Corrals still existed (so runners knew where to line up) but instead of releasing corral by corral, runners would line up in a chute, one by one all the way across, and start running whenever the red light turned green. It was super quick but also very different and I wasn't expecting that!

This new course was 100% on the campus of the University of New Orleans and on Lake Pontchartrain. 

The weather was BEAUTIFUL and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!! Somewhere around mile 1.5, I took off my sweatshirt which messed with the buttons on my watch and reset the dang thing! So, I ran this race without any idea of my overall time, I could only see my pace. My original goal was to run it in a 2:05. Could I have broken the 2 hour mark again? Maybe. But, I stopped to take off my sweat shirt which took precious seconds and I stopped for photos at the beginning which also took precious seconds. In another day and another time (and with the right mindset), I could have likely done it. I seriously felt SO great during this entire race and around mile 11.5, I was sad it was almost over. The overwhelming gratitude of being back, running again with a large crowd, doing this thing I love on such a gorgeous day - you can't beat that!

The course atmosphere on this race route was great, too! I just love the overall atmosphere of New Orleans! It's so much fun!

I do have two grievances about this race...

With the course change, came in the added HILLS. Oh, the hills. I sure hope they didn't advertise this as race as a flat course because I'm from Louisiana and I know flat - this wasn't flat. I seriously lost count of how many overpasses and bridges and roadways we ran up and down. It was seriously too many to count. However, I made it a goal to power up all of them and I made it every time!

Second - this course was WAY too crowded. In the past, the 10K'ers started before the half marathon. This year, it was all looped in together. I understand why they did that, and I was happy when we split at mile 3. I didn't care for the fact that we looped back in with the 10K'ers at mile 8 or 9. I seriously thought I took a wrong turn and had to scan other runners bibs to make sure I was still going the right way. The two lane roads were way to crowded and congested. 

Traditional mile 12 photo!

I LOVED the medals this year!! Aren't they beautiful!

I seriously love how much they put into this overall race from start to finish (Expo to post-race). There's so much rich history and culture with New Orleans, it's fun to see it showcased at the race!

I also knew of a runDisney friend running this race, Jackey! I hung around the finish line to say hi! It was so nice to meet her!

Remember the watch debacle? Well, I knew the "overall" time when I crossed was around 2:10, but I had no idea if I'd reached my goal time or not. After finding a spot to sit and relax, I opened my app and.....

I got it!! I couldn't believe my eyes! 2:05!

Thankfully our hotel let us have a noon check out, which gave us a few extra minutes to hang around the finish line. The buses were also taking runners and spectators back to the Convention center area which was super convenient!

After showering and checking out, we made brunch reservations at one of the Ruby Slipper locations and took a Lyft to the restaurant.

This dish was SO good. I would go out of my way to go here again, just to eat this dish!

Chicken and waffles is a southern staple, but this dish switched it up and added french toast instead. It also included a sweet heat sauce and I drizzled it with syrup. So so good, y'all!

I absolutely loved this past weekend. I had a blast being back in New Orleans with my husband, eating the good food, seeing the sights, and running the half marathon. I'm already registered for next year! Can't wait to be back again! 

Laissez le bon temps rouler - Let the good times roll! 

2020 Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon

New Orleans has always been one of my favorite cities to run through. The sights and sounds of the city combined with the beautiful architecture and gorgeous homes all make for an amazing race experience. 

This year, my friend Melissa and I wanted to bring a little Disney flare to New Orleans and that's where our outfits were born!

I searched high and low for shirts I liked and couldn't find any available in our sizes. Instead, I decided to make them. Another fun Disney touch? The font I used for the shirt's slogan is also a Disney one! 

Another thing I love about Rock n Roll races is the start time. I actually feel like I get to sleep in when compared to runDisney events!

Thankfully, we were only a short walk to the start line from our hotel (Hilton Riverside).

The race start was delayed by 20 minutes and we were seriously freezing. I was so glad I remembered to snag a few packs of hot hands before the race!

The crowd behind us seemed endless!

Before long, it was time to run!!

Something I love about Rock n Roll races is they truly attempt to bring out the culture of the area to their events. From Mardi Gras floats to Second Line Bands and great courses, they really are a great way to "see" New Orleans city by foot!

There were so many inspirational runners on the course, too. Take this guy for example...

The weather was perfect for this race and as we gained mileage, I was so happy we decided to wear shorts instead of capri tights.

Along one of the backdrops, we saw a line form and wondered what was going on. Well, when we saw people taking pictures, we decided to join in!

Since we were both injured for this race, we planned to take it slow and just enjoy the scenery. We literally ran/walked the entire thing and had a blast!

I loved how bananas were available at one of the water stops! Such a nice touch!

Before long, we were looping back towards the French Quarter and Jackson Square.

This cathedral along with Cafe du Monde located just across the street are quintessential New Orleans "must do's"!

Hello Mile 12! I of course had to stop for my traditional mile 12 photo!

Forest Gump was even out and about for all the fun!

Our husband's text us their location along the finish line route so we knew where to look and they got some hilarious video footage of us finishing the race. Think: slo-mo...

We did it! It might have taken us almost three hours, but we did it! I have no regrets on the timing of this race for us as we literally spent so much time playing around, taking pictures, and just enjoying ourselves!

The food after the race was in plenty, but we somehow missed the chocolate milk. Instead, we picked some up at Starbucks on the walk back to our hotel.

Another nice offering by Rock n Roll are the free transportation shuttles. Since this race does not start and end in the same location, shuttles are available to take spectators to the start line and runners/spectators back to the downtown area once the race is over.

We loved spending the weekend with our friends!!

Our post-race lunch took place at the Ruby Slipper Cafe. It was delicious!!

I had the roast beef eggs benedict and it was seriously delicious!

Before saying a final farewell to our friends, we stopped by Cafe du Monde for a few souvenirs for our friends back home!

If you're ever thinking of running this race, you should! We really enjoyed our weekend and had a blast through it all!

2020 Rock n Roll New Orleans Expo

This past weekend, Rock n Roll held its annual New Orleans Marathon weekend . Despite being on the upside of an injury (and with a half a second of a thought to dropping to the 10K), my friend Melissa and I agreed to run/walk the half that we were initially registered for. 

We stayed at Hilton Riverside which was located right next door to the Ernest N Morial Convention Center (where the expo was being held). Don't let the "right next door" part fool you - this is a HUGE convention center and the walk was a rather long one!

A change that Rock n Roll has made within the past few years is the elimination of race waivers. You basically sign your online waiver when you register, so you don't need an extra paper in hand once you arrive. There's a mobile app where you can look up your bib number and then line up accordingly by bib number to pick up your packet. It's super easy and wastes less paper!

Rock n Roll also always has you walk the red carpet on your way to check in! What a fun touch!

Another fun touch this year was the addition of gold, green, and purple mardi gras beads! I love it when each race experience really hits on the cultural aspect of the area. So fun!

It wouldn't be a Rock n Roll Expo without the traditional Chocolate Milk finish line photo!

After picking up our bags and shirts, we made our way to the Brooks showroom floor to check out the merchandise this year.

My favorite were the light up number signs! (Not for sale, sadly.)

We spent a good 45 minutes or so here, looking through the merchandise and trying things on. I came away with a long sleeved finishers shirt (which I love) and a Rock n Roll New Orleans coffee mug. I've never purchased a coffee mug at their Expo because they weren't race authentic enough. Well, this one had purple, green, and gold insignias all over it so yes, it's now mine!

We made our purchases, then walked over to the Main Expo floor to check everything else out.

A super fun experience was put on at the Humana booth where my friend and I received matching "tattoos"!

Another fun "New Orleans" touch to this race experience were the multitude of Mardi Gras costumes, parade floats, and photo opportunities.

We definitely took advantage of them all!

Oh yes, and a giant crawfish...almost forgot about him!

I also registered for next year's Rock n Roll New Orleans half. If you register for the following year's events at the Expo, you can usually take advantage of special pricing and receive a free tshirt!

After leaving the Expo, we walked back over to our room to drop off our purchases, then made our way to the Riverwalk Mall for some beignets!

Although the "authentic" Cafe du Monde is located in the French Quarter, they do offer various locations throughout the city and this one happened to be inside of the Riverwalk Mall. It was super easy and convenient for us, so we went with it!

Watching them make the beignets was super fun, too! She literally scooped these up and tossed them in the fryer. (See instagram stories for footage!)

The remainder of our day was spent touring a plantation home located just outside of New Orleans and eating pizza at our favorite, Outlaw pizza. It was a fun day in all and ended with an early bed time for the runners.

Up next: Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon race reap!